office space decrapification

i like to think i'm a pretty simple gal.  it's the small things in life that make me happy.  organization is one of them.  pretty decorations is another.  diy projects that i can actually do by myself.  shopping, sigh, before twins...  thrifty shopping, uh-hum, after twins.

our mud room, which use to be just an ugly, useless walk-thru from the garage to the rest of the house has been an on-going project since we built our house.  project #1: make some cute cubbies/lockers that i see lust after in pottery barn catalogs but in no way can afford.  thanks to my sweet hubby and handy dad, we now have some.  hmmm...since i had to turn the hall closet into a pantry, (yeah, seriously, a brand new house with NO pantry) where the heck do i store my vacuum (should i ever need it...)?  project #2: build a cool little storage closet thingy to house a vacuum below and our techy t.v. things above.  and while we're at it, why not just add a tabletop to the left and finish off the wall with a small desk?  thanks again daddy and neil!!  now, i finally have a little desk area to do "officy" stuff at, like pay bills (gross) and house more junk!  junk?  really?  how does it accumulate so quickly? 

enter project #3: decrapify my so-called office.  time to make it more appealing to use.

what a fun project!  other than the fact that i'm not allowed to spend money without getting a disapproving look from neil... so, time to get creative.  i scavenged the house for items to use that would help me make my office space prettier and more functional.  with a little help from spray paint, fabric, and a trip to goodwill...waa laa!  a super chic looking place!

before

after

before

after

the board is cork board covered in fabric (isn't it fab?)  thank you to my good friend, glue gun. i spray painted the shelves, the pink box, the calendar frame, and a wire shelf thingy (not in this picture) i still have from college (yikes).  the shelves were an ugly off white with long anchor things that i broke off.  i found the pink box at goodwill.  it is for holding pictures but now holds my business-y stuff for Stella & Dot and it was a terrible fake wood color but is ca-ute now!  here's a close up...

my collegiate wire shelf thingy looks great in black!  i had some plywood cut at home depot to sit in each shelf.  (i HATE wire shelving...which, ugh, is all over our house.  hmmm... projects #4-7 perhaps?)  i covered the plywood temporarily in wrapping paper until i can find the perfect cabinet drawer liner and scrounge up enough change to pay for it.  (you know, cash is NOT traceable by the hubby...)  i have also spray painted some paint stirrers from HD (fa-ree!!) using chalkboard spray paint that i plan to hang from each shelf to label what belongs on it.  (oh my gosh, i love love love lists.)  here is a pic that kinda shows it.  when/if i get the labeling done, maybe i'll post that pic too.

oh!  the pink circle is also from HD.  so fun.  stickable, writable, erasable, and removable!!  3 came in a package so one for here and two for the nursery!  maybe a little silly but i'm thinking long-term...  great place to write a note to our school-age children to remind them of what they need to do each evening, like do your homework first, grab a snack, and get dinner ready (ha ha).